Trattoria L'Ancora

When the travel buddy got me to choose a lunch place, I turned up with only two options ten minutes later - pizza or pasta? With a raised eyebrow (he didn't have much of a choice on the cuisine clearly) he chose the latter, and we were off to Trattoria L'Ancora along Bukit Timah Road.

Complimentary Bread


L'Ancora's bread were simple but good. No one can really go wrong with warmly toasted focaccia bread, while the lightly flavoured and thin pizza-like slices were just as welcomed.

Calamari Fritti


At $24.90++, the lunch set (available on weekends as well) was quite a steal. My pick of the Calamari Fritti from the small range of appetisers on the set menu was just the way I wanted it to be - crisp, light batter and slightly chewy. The calamari went well with the mildly spicy Arrabiata sauce served on the side too.

Zuppa di Funghi


The travel buddy crossed out the bruschetta, garden salad and sautéed clams and went for the simple mushroom soup, the Zuppa di Funghi. I think he found it a tad too diluted and would have preferred it thicker.

Spaghetti Ai Frutte Di Mare


No surprises, I went for my all-time favourite. The Spaghetti Ai Frutte Di Mare was delicious, and what really stood out was the flavourful and adequately thick homemade tomato sauce. The fresh seafood ingredients - prawns, squids and clams - are also worthy of mention. Note that the portion for the set menu is slightly smaller than if you were to order this dish à la carte, but to be honest I thought the portion was just about right given that you've already got an appetiser and dessert to accompany it.

Branzino Al Lemone


The travel buddy had the Branzino Al Lemone, an oven-baked fillet of sea bass with lemon dressing. Not a frequent fish eater (but he do swear by Nobu's miso cod), he found the sea bass a little too "fishy" in taste and smell. He was thankful for the lemon sauce that helped to make it more manageable.

Tiramisu


The waitress (and chef) so politely allowed me to make a swap on the dessert menu with the Tiramisu, and moreover at no additional cost. I liked the tiramisu, it wasn't overwhelming and had a good balance of the holy trinity of flavours - coffee, liquer and chocolate. While not mind-blowingly impressive, this was still decently good.

Panna Cotta


I used to see this as an Italian tau huay, but that surely would be trivialising one of Italy's iconic desserts, the Panna Cotta. L'Ancora's rendition of this dessert was executed well.

Coffee


And with all that enjoyed, sit back for a bit longer and enjoy that cuppa :)

Service
Very good.

Price
$24.90++ for the set lunch.

Place
789 Bukit Timah Road.
After HCI, just before the turn to Sixth Avenue.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.